SAO PAULO , Brazil -LRB- Reuters -RRB- -- A Colombian man who authorities say is one of Latin America 's biggest drug traffickers wants to be extradited to the United States from a Brazilian jail and is willing to cooperate with U.S. anti-drug agents , his attorney says .

Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia appears in an undated photo released by the U.S. State Department .

Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia was grabbed in a dawn police raid Tuesday and is being held in custody in Sao Paulo pending the processing of an extradition request .

Brazilian and U.S. authorities say he is responsible for shipping thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States and Europe . He also allegedly oversaw a business empire that laundered the profits in Brazil , long a favorite hiding spot for fugitives .

His attorney , Sergio Alambert , was quoted Thursday as saying Ramirez Abadia wanted to cooperate with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration .

`` My client asked that I contact the DEA and show his willingness to collaborate . Two DEA agents are questioning him in the jail , '' Alambert told O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper .

Ramirez Abadia wanted to be extradited to the United States , but he hoped to cut a deal for a maximum 30-year sentence to avoid the death penalty , he said .

In a 2004 indictment issued by a grand jury in Washington , Ramirez Abadia was accused of shipping about 500 tons of cocaine worth more than $ 10 billion from Colombia to the United States between 1990 and 2004 .

U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Mei said the extradition request was working its way through the formal process . Brazil might want to put Ramirez Abadia -- who is nicknamed Chupeta , or Lollipop -- on trial for money-laundering , and Colombia could try to bring him back to face justice there .

Mei could not confirm that the DEA already was questioning the suspect or that U.S. agents took part in Tuesday 's operation .

`` The operation is an example of the way the DEA and Brazilian authorities work together all the time . This one paid off big time , '' he said .

Police and media reports detailed a business empire run by Ramirez Abadia that included property , car dealerships , import and export companies , even a jet-ski store on a busy Sao Paulo avenue . He was trying to set up an air taxi company to help facilitate his business operations , they said .

Ramirez Abadia , 44 , and his wife lived in luxury in a million-dollar mansion in a Sao Paulo suburb , but they kept a low profile . The house had 10 televisions , a gym and swimming pool , and six cars , Folha de S.Paulo newspaper said .

Neighbors said he was a man of few words and always wore sunglasses and a cap when he went out cycling with his wife .

Staff at a plastic surgery office in a posh neighborhood where he had operations to change his appearance told Estado they had no idea about his background and that he was always kind and polite .

U.S. authorities have described him as extremely violent , and Brazilian police said he was behind at least 15 killings in the United States and more than 300 in Colombia . E-mail to a friend

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Lawyer tells newspaper alleged drug kingpin is willing to be extradited to U.S.

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Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia -- nicknamed Lollipop -- arrested this week in Brazil

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Colombian suspected of shipping tons of cocaine to U.S. , Europe

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Brazil police allege suspect may be behind hundreds of killings